Mumbai: Ramgiri Maharaj, a self-proclaimed religious leader from northern Maharashtra—who has been delivering sermons and kirtans, and spreading teachings of the state’s saints for a long time—became an overnight sensation after he allegedly passed derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad in August at a religious event in Nashik district.
Ramgiri Maharaj’s remarks stirred political turmoil in the state as many Muslims raised objections over the alleged derogatory statements.
For instance, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Imtiaz Jaleel Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to take action against Ramgiri Maharaj within five days over his ‘objectionable’ remarks, warning that party members will march to Mumbai if the demands remain unfulfilled.
However, constituents of the ruling Mahayuti, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, appear to be using the controversy to their advantage.
In August, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde shared a stage with Ramgiri Maharaj and said that in Maharashtra, nobody can even “touch the hair” of any saint. “Saints like Ramgiri Maharaj carry out the work of giving direction to people.”
Also, rural development minister Girish Mahajan and former Ahmednagar MP Sujay Vikhe-Patil touched Ramgiri Maharaj’s feet on stage.
Kankavli MLA Nitesh Rane of the BJP said there would be repercussions if the Maharaj was harmed. “We will enter your mosques and hit you one by one. Keep this in mind.”
Two FIRs have been registered against Rane at Shrirampur and Topkhana police stations.
Over the last couple of weeks, around 50 FIRs have been registered against Ramgiri Maharaj across the state for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, promoting enmity between groups, and engaging in criminal intimidation, among other offences.
While Ramgiri Maharaj later said his remarks were in response to the alleged atrocities being committed against Hindus in Bangladesh, and that his objective was to unite members of the Hindu community, he continues to stand firm on his statement.
Experts believe he has the courage to stick to his remarks partly because politicians from the ruling alliance are backing him, along with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), whose chief Mohan Bhagwat met with the Ramgiri Maharaj in June.
“For the Shinde Sena and Rane faction in the BJP, it is a race to show that they are more inclined towards Hindutva, and emerge as a more radical party. After all, it is a battle to stay relevant, and being radical is relevant. Moderation is essential for those in power, and Hindu religious organisations make up for the extremism and fear mongering that is necessary for political institutions to remain in power,” Dr Ajinkya Gaikwad, assistant professor of politics at a Mumbai-based college, told ThePrint.
“In recent times, amorphous Hindu religious organisations have been gaining strength. The political institutions provide support to them since it is an easier way to engage with the public. It allows them to steer away policy lapses and related issues from entering mainstream discourses,” he added.
Ramgiri Maharaj’s spiritual journey
Drawn to spirituality from a tender age, Ramgiri Maharaj has served as the mahant (chief) of Sadguru Gagangiri Maharaj Sansthan in Sarala island, Shrirampur tehsil, Ahmednagar district, since 2009.
For the past 15 years, he has been delivering sermons and spreading the teachings of Maharashtra’s Warkari sect in various talukas across the northern part of the state.
He was born Suresh Ramkrishna Rane in Jalgaon’s Bhusawal in 1972.
After studying till Class 7 in his own village, he moved to another village for further studies. It was during that period that he started singing kirtans and giving sermons.
“Right from childhood, he was more inclined towards bhajans-kirtans than studies. Instead of playing with his friends, he would remain immersed in meditation,” a close associate of Ramgiri Maharaj told ThePrint.
He frequently visited Swadhyay Kendra, a religious centre for Bhagavad Gita teachings.
His close associate also said that Ramgiri Maharaj studied Class 12, and later moved to Pune for some work, because his family asked him to do so. But there, he could not concentrate on work and instead decided to continue with his spiritual journey.
He subsequently moved to Ahmednagar district to pursue a diploma course at an Industrial Training Institute (ITI). However, he quit his studies and sought blessings from spiritual guru Narayangiri Maharaj, who himself was a disciple of Gagangiri Maharaj.
For many years, he lived in Ahmednagar’s Sarala Bet to receive training from Narayangiri Maharaj. After Narayangiri Maharaj died in 2009, Ramgiri was appointed the mahant of the Sadguru Shri Gagangiri Maharaj Sansthan.
Harnim Saptah during Shravan
Every year, the sansthan holds a week-long religious session called Harinam Saptah, which is held during the month of Shravan.
Raghunandan Maharaj, one of Ramgiri’s disciples, told ThePrint that the sessions can be held anywhere in the state, and every time, Ramgiri Maharaj goes to the village which decides to host the event.
Sessions are also held during Durgashtami, Mahashivratri, and Guru Purnima, among other occasions, Raghunandan Maharaj said, adding that during these events, Ramgiri Maharaj explains the teachings of Sant Dnyaneshwar, Sant Tukaram, and other saints of Maharashtra.
He also speaks extensively about Hindu culture, Hindu mythology, and emphasises the need to protect Sanatan Dharma. “During our saptah, all types of people come. The number goes up to a lakh and on the last day, it even touches close to a million. In an entire week, we can say that an average of 25 lakh people attend our saptah.”
He said Muslims also participate in these events in large numbers, adding that a few years ago, the saptah committee that organised a session in Vaijapur included several Muslims. “We are an inclusive group as we follow the path shown by the saints of Maharashtra.”
Backlash due to alleged derogatory comments
At a saptah in Nashik on 16 August, Ramgiri Maharaj allegedly made controversial remarks on the Prophet Muhammad. A video of the incident went viral on social media, following which Muslim leaders and organisations started demanding his arrest. Soon, violent protests erupted in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahmednagar, and Nashik.
Defending Ramgiri Maharaj’s comments, Raghunandan Maharaj said “he did not mean it that way”, adding that “he was speaking in context of the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh”, and his statement got out of proportion because the video became viral.
Stating that Ramgiri Maharaj’s objective was not political, Raghunandan Maharaj said, “We belong to the Warkari sect. We have no particular affiliations with any political parties. Yes, politicians from different parties attend our events but it ends there.”
However, Raghunandan Maharaj also claimed that it was unusual to hear such a statement from Ramgiri Maharaj because he usually only gave spiritual sermons, and spoke about saints such as Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram.
Referring to the Nashik controversy, Gaikwad said that Ramgiri Maharaj has had a strong support base in various parts of Maharashtra, and his statements “consolidate” communal tensions. “The long-standing strong cultural affiliations of people to seers and their organisations makes them an attractive proposition to be pursued by ruling parties.”
Meanwhile, opposition leaders accused the BJP of using the seer’s controversy to their advantage through religious polarisation, ahead of the assembly elections in the state.
“What happened is unfortunate. The Warkari sect believes in equality, and our saints have taught that all sects are equal. But it is easy for the BJP to polarise sects and gain votes leveraging the religion card,” senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, Sangamner MLA, told ThePrint. Thorat has also attended Ramgiri Maharaj’s sermons in the past.
While Ramgiri Maharaj’s disciples claim that Sarala Bet is not political or does not support any form of politics, the religious leader attended in June an RSS training camp in Nagpur, where he shared a stage with the RSS chief, praising the Sangh and its efforts to protect Sanatan Dharma.
“In the Sangh, you get the sanskars, values to remain balanced in all conditions, whether favourable or adverse. When one is associated with the RSS, they get to learn about dedication and maintaining social harmony,” Ramgiri Maharaj said at the camp.
समर्पण भाव और सामाजिक समरसता का ज्ञान संघ परिवार में मिलता है- महंत गुरुवर्य श्री रामगिरी जी महाराज, पीठाधीश श्री क्षेत्र गोदावरी धाम#RSSVarg_2 pic.twitter.com/OdLtoV5U3F
— RSS (@RSSorg) June 10, 2024
Citing this meeting, a Congress leader said that Ramgiri Maharaj might have been “influenced” by the RSS ideology. “Ramgiri Maharaj recently meeting with Mohan Bhagwat and sharing common space at a training camp makes it possible that the seer was influenced by the RSS ideology. It would be tragic if the Warkari sect gets polarised this way,” the Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint.
Ahmednagar MP Nilesh Lanke of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also condemned Ramgiri Maharaj’s remarks.
“He has studied a lot about the Warkari sect. His statement is not appropriate. He has the right to speak and spread his thoughts about a certain community but he has no right to degrade another community. When two lines are parallel, it is better to increase one’s own line rather than erasing the other line,” Lanke was quoted as saying by media outlets.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)